Auradon Prep for Demigods
by Takara Phoenix
Summary: Percy was twelve when he entered Auradon Prep, his kingdom's school for demigods and legacies. The Titan War happens in Auradon. The rebel army recruited many villain kids, the gods having turned the children against them. After the Titan War, Percy and Ben ask for a pardon for the innocent villain kids on the island, bringing them to Auradon. Nico/Percy, Ben/Carlos, Uma/Audrey


Benlos || Descendants || Nicercy || Auradon Prep for Demigods || Nicercy || PJatO || Benlos

Title: Auradon Prep for Demigods – Demigod Defenders of Auradon

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus | Descendants

Disclaimer: All rights to _Percy Jackson_ reserved to Rick Riordan. All rights to the _Descendants _movies reserved to Josann McGibbon, Sara Parriott and Disney. This fanfiction other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, pining, hurt/comfort, f/f, m/f

Main Pairings: Nico/Percy & Ben/Carlos

Side Pairings: Uma/Audrey, Charles/Silena, Chris/Clarisse, Grover/Juniper

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Lou Ellen Blackstone, Cecil Markowitz, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Chris Rodriguez, Clarisse la Rue, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Juniper, Drew Tanaka

Descendants Characters: Audrey, Uma, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos de Vil, Ben, Harry Hook, Gil, Jane, Chad, Lonnie, Dizzy Tremaine, Celia Facilier, Dude, Fairy Godmother

Summary: Percy was twelve when he entered Auradon Prep, his kingdom's school for demigods and legacies. The Titan War happens in Auradon. The rebel army recruited many villain kids, the gods having turned the children against them. After the Titan War, Percy and Ben ask for a pardon for the innocent villain kids on the island, bringing Mal, Evie, Jay, Carols and others to Auradon.

**Auradon Prep for Demigods**

_Demigod Defenders of Auradon_

At age twelve, Percy Jackson kind of accidentally slayed the Minotaur when running from it and it changed his whole life, because when he woke up after having passed out, he found himself at Auradon Prep. Disoriented, he woke up with two blondes and a brunette looming over him.

"Hello. I'm Will. I'm a healer-in-training here", said one of the blondes in ways of introduction. "I'm a son of Apollo. This is Auradon Prep. How do you feel?"

"...That's that demigod school", grunted Percy confused. "What am I doing here."

"Hi, I'm-"

"Prince Ben", squeaked Percy as the brunette came fully into focus. "You're the son of King Adam and Queen Belle! Legacy of Athena, engaged to Princess Audrey from our neighboring kingdom."

"...I told you, you don't need any introductions, Ben", sighed the third in the room. "I'm Annabeth. Daughter of Athena. And you're here because you killed the Minotaur at our doorsteps."

Percy however was still caught up on the part where he was in the presence of royalty. Auradon was one of the United Kingdoms, ruled by the very famous and fabled Queen Belle and her husband, the former beast whose curse she had broken. Theirs was one of the tales little children like Percy literally grew up on. Belle was a demigoddess, a daughter of Athena, clever and well-read. Her son, as a legacy of Athena, was attending Auradon Prep now. Not every kingdom could afford having such a school – a school that was especially for demigods.

Percy knew, the first of those had been Olympia Prep in the kingdom of Olympus, a small kingdom in which Mount Olympus itself was located. King Hercules and Queen Megara ruled the kingdom, Chiron himself being the principal of their school, specializing in training young demigods and legacies of the gods to become great heroes. Over the years, slowly, other such schools had been build in other kingdoms and when Percy's home had opened the doors to Auradon Prep, Percy had gotten _excited_ – not because he thought he could ever attend, he was just a regular kid after all, but because there were _heroes_! The Fairy Godmother herself was the principal of the school!

"Your companion, Grover, he told us what happened", stated Ben, his voice soft as he sat down next to Percy's bed. "I'm sorry for your loss, and while it's not what you want to think about right now, you will be safe here. Auradon Prep is a boarding school, you will be taken care of."

Grover. Loss. Right. His mom. The Minotaur and his mom and—Percy shook his head wildly.

"No, no. I don't _belong_ here. I'm not a demigod. And mom-", started Percy to protest.

"Even if you're not a demigod, we would make exceptions for a twelve year old kid slaying the Minotaur on his own", huffed Annabeth. "Though I find it debatable. You _have_ to be a demigod."

"Not now, Annabeth", chided Ben pointedly.

"Not now, either of you", grunted Will and rolled his eyes. "You're both upsetting him. He needs to rest. Go away. I'll inform Headmistress Blue once he's in any shape to attend classes. Out now."

Percy took a shaky breath and laid back down on the bed. This was all a bad dream and he was going to wake up from it, with his mom being right there and smiling at him.

/break\

It was not a dream and Hades had captured Percy's mother for some reason – well, a very particular reason. The Master Bolt had been stolen and Zeus was accusing his brothers of the deed. To clear Hades' name, Percy was supposed to retrieve it. Or something. What did Percy know what the gods were thinking. All he did know was that he had to fix this – and Grover and Annabeth were willing to join him. Grover because he was Percy's best friend and Annabeth because she was _dying_ for a quest. This world was a boys' world and it was a royals' world. If there was a quest, Prince Ben or Prince Chad of the other neighboring kingdom were sent out.

They fought the Chimera and Medusa, traveled the Lotus Hotel, faced off against Ares and actually managed to return home with Sally Jackson and the Master Bolt. And a new friendship.

The three of them were hard to separate after the quest and while Sally loathed the idea of Percy not living at her side anymore, she agreed that Auradon Prep was the right education for a... son of Poseidon. And now there laid the real shocker, because his father? Not a sailor lost at sea but the king of the sea himself. He was a demigod... and even more so, he was demigod royalty. Son of one of the three kings, the Big Three. That was a lot to take in.

"Perce? You alright there? You've been... blankly staring at the ceiling for two hours."

"This room is larger than our apartment", noted Percy softly. "And fancier."

The thought of his mom all alone in the apartment made his heart clench. Grover sighed and sat down next to Percy. The two of them were sharing a room. Percy had known Grover was a satyr when they had met and apparently, magical creatures were also accepted into the school – Percy had met Doug, who was a dwarf, son of one of the dwarves who had raised Snow White. So now Percy and Grover got to share a bedroom, which was at least a small mercy.

"I know this summer has been a lot, Perce", whispered Grover. "Maybe you should talk to someone about it? Like, an adult? Or something. I don't know. But I'm worried about you."

"How worried are you about Annabeth?", asked Percy dryly.

She had introduced Percy to Luke Castellan during Percy's first few days here, before they had gone onto the quest. Annabeth admired Luke, looked up to him. And then, during this quest, Luke had betrayed them. Why? And for whom? No one really knew yet, but the adults, and the gods, were trying to figure it out. King Ben and Queen Belle had called in a meeting of the royals of the United Kingdoms – all the big names had come to discuss it, Aurora, Snow White, Megara, Cinderella, Mulan, Tiana, Merida, Moana, Rapunzel, Ariel, Jasmine. All the big queens and their kings. Percy had been so very excited. Maybe even a little more excited about Ariel after the reveal of his own parentage – her being the daughter of Triton actually made... Queen Ariel _his_ _niece_. Which was just bizarre. But then again, everything that had happened in the past two months was bizarre.

"What do you think is going on?", asked Percy now. "I mean, who's behind it?"

"Who knows", hummed Grover thoughtfully. "The adults will take care of it."

/break\

The adults did not, in fact, take care of _anything_.

Clarisse la Rue, a brutish daughter of Ares, was sent onto a quest to the Sea of Monsters. Percy and his friends hadn't meant to interfere with Clarisse's quest, they had meant to save Grover, who had gotten himself kidnapped. But accidentally, their quests overlapped and they joined forces.

That was another exhausting and exciting summer and this one, it brought Percy closer to Clarisse. Which was kind of cool because she was a great and respected hero of Auradon Prep.

"I am just... so tired", groaned Percy as he collapsed after training.

"Not much stamina, that one", commented Lonnie as she still traded blows with Clarisse.

Lonnie was the daughter of Mulan and, through Mulan, a legacy of Ares. Her and Clarisse got along rather well, a bit like sisters – seemingly respecting each other but also edging on a lot. What they did share was having a daughter/legacy of Aphrodite as their best friend. For Lonnie, it was Princess Audrey, the daughter of Aurora, who was probably _the_ most famous legacy of Aphrodite of their time particularly because she was also a daughter of Hypnos (which, admittedly, had not worked out entirely well for her and her kingdom because the blood of her father had canceled out the killing curse of Maleficent and sent the entire kingdom into a hundred-year slumber, before Audrey's father had come along and broken the curse). For Clarisse, it was Silena Beauregard, a daughter of Aphrodite, the eldest daughter of Aphrodite at school. Every daughter and legacy of Aphrodite kind of looked toward her for guidance. She was kind and sweet, Percy liked her.

"I doubt he's talking about today's training", noted Silena bemused.

She handed Percy a cold towel, smiling at him. Accepting it gratefully, Percy covered his face with it and groaned. It was nice, that he had found kind of friends around here, even though even after a year, everything here still felt oddly different and he felt out of place.

"I mean life", grunted Percy for clarification.

"Well, that's harsh. You're thirteen, Jackson", noted Lonnie, both eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. And I killed the Minotaur, killed Medusa, fought Ares, had a spat with Hades, sailed the Sea of Monsters – I always thought these heroic tales were awesome, but man... I need a break."

"That's fair." Lonnie chuckled as she and Clarisse called it quits for the day too.

The two joined Silena and Percy at the wall, sitting down and accepting the water-bottles Silena was now handing out. Clarisse huffed and wrapped an arm around Percy's shoulders, ruffling his hair. Glaring, Percy shoved her and tried to get away from it.

"You're the son of Poseidon now. Being a hero is what we demigods do", stated Clarisse simply.

"I demand a refund", grunted Percy frustrated. "Couldn't my dad just be royal? Like, without the god thing? I could do being a prince. Just... a princely prince, princing about."

The three girls with him snickered at that but they knew better than to comment on it. Percy had a right to be exhausted and frustrated and they knew that too.

/break\

Percy did not get the break he had hoped for. If anything, the fates seemed to actively work against him, because he didn't even get to catch a break until the next _summer_ at least. No, no, it had to be that very winter. Annabeth got abducted, and so did Artemis, when they had come to collect two young demigods – children of Hades, as it later turned out.

Percy wasn't supposed to go on the quest, only girls should have gone because Artemis had been taken and thus the huntresses of Artemis led the quest. One of the children they had saved had immediately joined the huntresses – Bianca di Angelo. And just as Percy and Ben were on their way to sneak off and go anyway because it was _Annabeth_ who was in danger, Bianca's little brother approached them and asked Percy to keep Bianca save. Percy made a promise. And Percy kept it.

Though he genuinely didn't know how well that quest would have gone had he not had his second favorite Athena brat with him. Ben was clever, he was a good leader, he had great instincts – and when he was really angry, his beastly side came through and he got feral.

"I can't believe we did all of that", gasped Ben breathlessly, laughing in a nearly delirious way.

Percy had an arm around Ben, also laughing. They had just delivered Annabeth to the infirmary, where a very irritated Will had ordered Percy and Ben to get checked out too.

"You two are ridiculous!", exclaimed Grover irritated, gesturing around wildly. "What were you even _thinking_? You should have left the quest to the huntresses and me!"

"G-man. It's Annabeth", sighed Percy pointedly. "We couldn't risk it."

"She's the closest I ever had to a sister", agreed Ben with that sad puppy-dog eye. "I couldn't-"

"Oh no, _you_ are in your whole own world of trouble", snorted Grover and shook his head. "The king and queen are furious that you sneaked off to risk your life."

Suddenly, Ben seemed far smaller, ducking his head. Percy made a face at that. Poor prince.

"How's the new kid?", asked Percy to distract. "Nico was it, right?"

"Nico is fine. He is with the huntresses to bide his goodbye to his sister right now", sighed Grover. "He got... settled in, at least a little bit, while you were off."

Percy hummed, looking pleased. Yes, the lieutenant of Artemis had died and that was awful, but... Annabeth was here, she was _safe_, and he had managed to keep his promise to Nico. This life, it had taught him to celebrate the victories. Especially with the way everything seemed to shape up to a bigger war, of sorts. Percy wasn't entirely sure _what_ it was, but it was... not good.

/break\

"What do you think about Ben and Audrey?"

Percy frowned and came to lean against the balustrade next to Annabeth. There was a frown on her face as she watched Ben and Audrey below them. They were all fourteen years old at this point and Audrey and Ben were officially dating now. The golden couple. The son of Belle and the daughter of Aurora, such powerful blood. They could unite their kingdoms, bind them together in a strong alliance. It was all over all gossip pages, which Percy found kind of gross because they were fourteen, why did newspapers think that kids dating is news worthy...?

"Dunno. But I feel like you got an opinion", noted Percy, knowing it was best to let Annabeth talk.

"Ben doesn't love her. She thinks dating her is the _practical_ thing to do. It's the Athena-brain in him. Always thinking practical. Not wanting to disappoint his parents. There's so many... expectations stacked on him", muttered Annabeth with a frown.

"Many marriages happen out of circumstances, especially for royals. Doesn't mean they can't come to love each other – besides, so far they're not married", countered Percy. "I mean. They started dating. Which, could be good. Maybe they'll fall in love, way before they get married."

"Maybe", sighed Annabeth. "I just... don't like Audrey. She is so... superficial. All about looking pretty, being a proper princess. She's _shallow_ and she only wants Ben for shallow reasons too."

Percy simply hummed at that, watching Audrey and Ben below them. "Have you considered that she may be under a lot of pressure too though? As a princess, she has to marry into the right family, there's a lot of pressure on her too. I think there's less choice for her in all of this than you think."

"When did you become part of Audrey's posse?", snorted Annabeth incredulously.

She motioned vaguely and dismissively toward the cheer-squad – mainly children of Aphrodite, but also a lot of other girls who _want_ to be a princess but never will be. Percy shrugged with a crooked grin, turning to look Annabeth dead in the eye.

"I saw her and her grandma on parent day. That woman is cold and distant as ice and Audrey's demeanor toward her was vastly different from the peppy queen she is around here. Take it from one abused kid who covered it up with snark", stated Percy simply. "You have your own experience with cold, distant women in your life, don't you."

The two of them had bonded over it, months ago. Percy's abuse at the hands of his stepfather and Annabeth's own abuse at the neglect and gaslighting of her stepmother. She paused and furrowed her brows before watching Audrey, as though that was a train of thought she had not yet considered.

"You know, you act like a silly goofball, but you're very observant, Perce."

"Not just a pretty face", chimed Percy brightly.

/break\

"He has _such_ a pretty face."

Nico heaved a sigh as rolled over in his bed. He had a badass new bedroom that he was sharing with a son of Hermes named Cecil. This school was so cool and it was all for demigods. Even better for those like him who didn't have a mortal parent anymore. They were taken care of here, had a home.

"Nico has a crush, Nico has a cru—ush", chimed Cecil teasingly.

Frowning, Nico threw his pillow at Cecil. Perhaps, just maybe, he did have the tiniest crush on Percy. But it was hard not to. Over the past three months he had lived at Auradon Prep, he had been accepted and made friends but no one had left quite the impression that Percy had left. He had promised to keep Nico's sister safe and he _did it_. He was a real hero and so pretty. It had taken Nico a few weeks to realize that he found Percy prettier than just a regular friend. Will, a friend of Cecil's with whom Nico had been hanging out a lot, had pointed that out to him. That Nico may like _boys_. The way other boys liked _girls_. That was... confusing at first, but by now he guessed Will was right. Will had taken him to watch practice and admittedly, Nico found the players far more interesting than the cheerleaders. So apparently maybe Nico was gay, not that he cared about the details just yet. For now, all he did care about was that Percy was amazing.

"I think it's cute", giggled Will amused.

Will and Lou Ellen were over and the four of them were playing a game – Nico's favorite game, Mythomagic. He was teaching his three friends and they were happily indulging him, though Cecil had a bit of a hard time getting the hang of it. Lou Ellen elbowed him to roll back over again and pay attention to the game at hand. It wasn't his fault that the card of Perseus had come up and it had reminded him of Percy, of course. Nico grinned a bit sheepishly.

"I dunno if you should get your hopes up though. I think there's something between him and Annabeth - I mean he went and risked his life rescuing her", noted Lou Ellen.

"I don't think there's more than friendship there", argued Will with a frown.

"It's not like I would-", started Nico startled. "I'm not! I just like... looking at him."

"You should try to impress him somehow", suggested Cecil. "Like, with heroics of your own. I see you watching him from a distance, but... he's only spending time with his friends, so maybe you gotta make him notice you by being a hero yourself."

"That is a horrible idea. Heroics are dangerous", grunted Lou Ellen pointedly.

Nico however was simply frowning thoughtfully at that. It was right that Percy was spending all his time with Clarisse, Lonnie, Silena, Annabeth, Ben and Grover and not much with him but... it wasn't as though he could just will a quest into existence, much less one he could be useful for?

/break\

"Oh, oh I do not like this, Annie. I do not like this at all."

Annabeth raised an amused eyebrow as she watched her friend pace. Next to Ben and Grover, her best friends were Jane and Doug. They were diligent, hard studies and Annabeth greatly enjoyed their company. She kicked her legs back and forth as she watched Jane pace in front of the bed. Doug looked equally troubled, though he was less prone to vocally fretting.

"I know you've gone on quests before, however you tagged along to the first one and the second time you snuck out and the third was supposed to be easy but then you got abducted and _now_ you want to actually lead a quest yourself?", complained Jane. "And you're sure about this?"

"I'm taking Percy and Ben with me. I would like for you to come too, Jane. Your magic would be so very useful. This is a magic maze, after all", sighed Annabeth, looking hopefully at her friend.

Jane was powerful but she was not very well-trained just yet. As the daughter of the Fairy Godmother, she had immense power and Mrs. Blue did train her, teacher her just like she did all magic-users at the school. However, as the daughter of the Fairy Godmother she was the best equipped for the job. And Annabeth knew she could rely on her.

"Oh no. No, no, I couldn't possibly", argued Jane, shaking her head wildly. "Besides, the school needs me, you know this, Annabeth! I couldn't just..."

"I will come with you, if you'll have me?", offered Doug.

He wasn't the bravest, but he was utterly loyal. Annabeth smiled gratefully and nodded at him.

The labyrinth of Daedalus had popped up in the forest around the school and it turned out, it had also opened up in other kingdoms. The current theory was that their enemy was using the labyrinth as a network to cross boarders without raising suspicions; every kingdom was by now on high alert about any suspicious movement. So the goal was to shut the labyrinth down. Annabeth, having studied architecture and Daedalus himself, had been chosen to lead the quest. It made her understandably nervous; this would be the first quest she was going to be in charge of.

/break\

"_What_ do you think you're doing here?!", exclaimed Annabeth angrily.

So the quest had kind of gotten off the rails. First they ran into Grover, who had been gone looking for Pan for weeks now and had apparently been lured down into the labyrinth himself. _Then_ they got captured by the giant Geryon and now it turned out that Nico, Lou and Cecil had decided to follow them and go on a quest of their own. Apparently, _a ghost_ had told Nico to come and help Annabeth, Percy, Doug and Grover... not that the boy was much of a help, because then they had all ended up captured together, until, with some trickery and godly help, they managed to escape.

"We wanted to _help_", growled Nico with an angry glare, trying to square up in front of her.

Only that she was tall. Taller than him, taller than Percy too. It was annoying. Percy was sitting around their improvised camp-fire talking animatedly with Grover and Doug. Cecil and Lou Ellen sat quietly, watching Nico and Annabeth not so subtly.

"You three weren't exactly helpful", snorted Annabeth, her arms crossed.

"Annie! That's enough", interrupted Percy before Nico could continue arguing. "They meant well. And _both of us_ have already sneaked out to quests that weren't ours before, you know."

Annabeth opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, ready to argue but knowing Percy was completely right. It was just... It was different when it was _her_ quest!

"Fine. You three can stay", grunted Annabeth annoyed. "But you better not get in the way."

Nico grumbled at that and the atmosphere during their sad excuse for a dinner was rather dimmed. They set up two guards to be awake, with a shift-change every two hours. By some grace of the Fates did Nico get paired up with Percy. His heart was racing as he sat next to his crush.

"Why did you sneak out to follow us?", asked Percy curiously after a little while.

"Because... we want a shot at being heroes too?", offered Nico with furrowed brows.

It made Percy chuckle and shake his head. "Yeah, same as Annabeth. O think that's why she was so furious. She did the exact same thing when we first met, you know. It's just... something different to be the older one and the rightful leader of the crashed quest."

"You guys are only two years older than us", commented Nico with a glare.

Again, Percy laughed. Nico liked the sound. He knew that two years were like _eternity_ at their age. So Nico couldn't wait until they were older, until Percy would _see_ him, actually see him and not a kid. It'd be so amazing, they could fight side by side and Percy would _see_! Nico would wait.

/break\

Many of them were huddled together in Ben's room. He stood, righteously and like the leader he was going to be, on one side were Annabeth, Jane and Doug, on his other side was his girlfriend with her friends – Audrey, Drew, Chad, Silena and other children and legacies of Aphrodite. Percy was a bit further on Annabeth's side, together with Grover and the Stolls, Travis and Connor two sons of Hermes with whom Percy had been getting along rather well. He spotted Nico seated with Will, Lou Ellen and Cecil not too far away.

"What's all this fuss about?", asked Chad, sprawled out and uninterested.

Prince Chad, son of Cinderella and Thomas – better known as Prince Charming and a son of Aphrodite. He was... not the brightest and also rather shallow. He always followed Audrey around like a lost puppy dog, though Percy also knew him to be close to Ben, which figured, they were the only princes at this school and it did set them kind of apart from the others. Drew huffed in agreement, closing her fan and glaring around pointedly.

"I'm sure you're missing a very important make-over or whatever-", grunted Annabeth and rolled her eyes. "But this is _more_ important than that, you know."

"Well, what is it about?", pressed Audrey with an edge of impatience. "I believe we're missing a _date_ for this, Bensikins. So what's so important to hold us up?"

Ben looked as panicked as a person who had forgotten a date. Percy grinned to himself and leaned back some, eyes wandering to his companions. He could see Travis and Connor scheming the next prank; the stuck-up posse around Audrey were their favorite target.

"The quest Annabeth led", started Ben. "They made important discoveries that the adults are trying to keep from us to not cause a panic, but I think we deserve to know."

"Then spill it, pretty boy", grunted Clarisse impatiently.

"The enemy we've been fighting for years now, everything that happened since the Master Bolt was stolen has been orchestrated by the same enemy", replied Ben firmly. "It's Kronos."

The room fell quiet. Even Chad, Audrey and Drew knew how serious what he had just said was. The Stolls paused their plans, exchanging a wide-eyed look. Percy pressed his lips together tightly. That was what they had uncovered in the labyrinth – and oh, he knew they would not have been as successful if Nico and his friends hadn't come after them. Nico, the Ghost King as it turned out in the middle of fighting Minos, had really helped them out.

"He... was too powerful to be fully contained by the Fairy Godmother's magic barrier, even from the Isle of the Lost he managed to somehow influence someone on the outside", continued Ben, back straight as he relayed the facts. "He had gathered an army within the Isle. Villains... and their children... alike, scorned by the punishment of the Isle. They used the labyrinth to connect the Isle to Auradon, they... Kronos has escaped the Isle and we don't know how many more managed to escape before we destroyed the labyrinth."

"Kronos?", echoed Lonnie softly. "But... he's too powerful."

They all knew that. He had been defeated by Zeus and his siblings many millennia ago and had been imprisoned, just to escape and try to kill Hercules, the heir of Zeus, and take over the Cosmos. Only Hercules and the gods working together had defeated him, thinking and hoping for good this time as they banished him to the Isle. The very first prisoner of the Isle of the Lost.

"What... do we do?", asked Chad, sounding nearly afraid.

"All we can do for now is train hard to be ready to fight. All of us", stated Ben seriously. "And be prepared for anything. Don't trust any strangers. They could be dangerous. Don't... leave campus alone, always stay in pairs, just to make sure. They managed to infiltrate the school before, through the labyrinth. We don't know what else they have in store."

/break\

"Oh, this is exactly what I need after that dreadful training", sighed Silena heavenly.

She sank lower into the enchanted lake, enjoying the warm, magical feeling of it. True to Ben's word, they had intense training sessions for everyone. And Clarisse in particularly was very invested in having her best friend able to protect herself. Percy was sitting perched at the cliff, his feet dangling into the water. Charles Beckendorf was sitting next to Silena, one arm wrapped around her waist. Clarisse all the while had challenged her new boyfriend to a swim-race. Chris Rodriguez, a son of Hermes they had found in the labyrinth. They had helped him in the infirmary until he was good again, Clarisse not leaving his side throughout the ordeal. And now they were... together. Somehow, Clarisse had been the last person Percy had expected to pair up.

"Isn't she the most beautiful tree ever?", sighed Grover dreamily, leaning against Percy.

Juniper. A tree nymph located near the enchanted lake. The two of them had gotten together a few weeks ago and Percy was really happy for his best friend. He was so utterly in love. Juniper giggled a little as she approached them and sat down next to Grover, just close enough that their fingers overlapped. Grover grinned happily and linked fingers with his girlfriend.

Inexplicably, Percy found himself thinking of Nico. He did that a lot lately. Especially when he saw happy couples, like Clarisse and Chris competing, Silena kissing Beckendorf, Grover and Juniper holding hands. It all made him think of Nico. Percy wasn't stupid, despite public opinion. He knew what this meant. He was having a crush on Nico – and honestly, how could he not? Nico had literally saved them all, he had trained so much, he had grown so much – both, mentally and physically; the son of Hades was definitely not the ten-years-old little kid he had met all this time ago. The two were spending a lot of time together, mostly for training at first, what with them being the only children of the Big Three, but then they also started to just hang out.

"Who's that dreamy expression for, Percy?", asked Silena teasingly.

Blinking a couple of times, Percy turned to look at Silena and Charles, who had sat down on his other side. Beckendorf was giving him a curious look of his own. The two of them were kind of a mother-father duo to many of the younger kids at school, especially those without parents. And even Percy found himself leaning into their warmth whenever he was at school.

"Uh... no one?", asked Percy in a perfectly bad lie.

Beckendorf looked at him very unimpressed. "You know you can talk to us, Perce."

"I'd rather not talk about it", muttered Percy, cheeks heating up.

"It's di Angelo", announced Clarisse when she and Chris swam up to them from the lake.

"Nico? Really?" asked Silena, voice pitching a little.

The glare Percy threw at Clarisse should have killed her instantly. "How do you even know that."

"Oh come on, Jackson", snorted Clarisse, rolling her eyes. "I've been training you and di Angelo for years now. Me and Lonnie noticed weeks ago how you'd always blush when the two of you roll around for too long and how you make googly eyes at him."

"I hate you people", grunted Percy as the others around him started laughing.

"Oh come on, Perce, you know we're just teasing", grinned Grover, elbowing Percy.

Grumbling, Percy crossed his arms. He knew they were only teasing, but still. He was... not good at this whole feelings-thing. Not when it came to romantic feelings. He had no idea what to _do_ about them. And those six? He could hardly ask them. Silena was a daughter of Aphrodite, her whole approach to love was vastly different than Percy's and she would definitely suggest something cheesy and silly that'd make Percy feel embarrassed. The others were not exactly fit to give love-life advise, despite having _somehow_ found a relationship. Percy was doomed to pine from afar.

/break\

It was their final stand. The Battle of Auradon. Auradon Prep was their last line of defense, they were harboring as many citizens as they could. Auradon was so short of falling. They knew that the majority of the Titans were on their way to Olympus, but they had to keep as many at bay as possible. The shocking thing was that they weren't just fighting turned gods and Titans.

Nico had seen her, with glowing green eyes, her magic floating green like Hades' fire. He could _feel_ it in her aura. She was a teen, a daughter of Hades. A kid. From the Isle. Somehow, Nico had a half-sister and she had grown up on the Isle of the Lost. Seeing her fight alongside Maleficent herself, Nico realized _why_. It was a mortifying realization, something that Nico had never really given a lot of thought to. But... all those villains living on the island, they had children. Children born in captivity, far away from society. Children only raised by villains and their influences. Children who literally had no other _choice_ than to side with their villainous parents who were _obviously_ siding with Kronos – how could they not, honestly? Kronos promised them freedom and vengeance.

And even the kids themselves, they held grudges. And Nico _understood_. Those kids had been punished for something that wasn't their fault? They had been sentenced to life-long imprisonment at birth, just by default of who their parents were...? How was that fair...?

"You need to calm down, Neeks."

When Nico turned around, Percy was standing in the doorway, Will, Lou and Cecil heading out, Will clapping Percy on the shoulder on the way. Really? His roommate had ratted him out to his crush, _how dare him_. Closing his eyes, Nico took a deep breath. Who was he kidding, he didn't have a crush, he was _in love_ with Percy. Running his fingers through his hair, Nico turned toward Percy.

"I'm calm", snarled Nico irritated.

"Yeah, that was totally a calm reaction", agreed Percy dryly. "Neeks. You're bleeding shadows. This room is pitch-black. I would have come even if Will hadn't called for me because your shadows are bleeding out into the corridor. What's going on?"

"They're kids. Just like us, Percy", whispered Nico.

Percy sighed and collapsed onto Nico's bed, sprawling out. It made Nico swallow hard because there was a Percy sprawled out _on his bed_. Pausing in his pacing, Nico simply admired the visual.

"I know that, Neeks. We all know. I mean, come on. Luke and the others who turned", muttered Percy defeated. "That's... just how it goes. We can't make decisions for others."

"Was it really their decision to begin with?", asked Nico doubtfully. "They were born in captivity, branded criminals just for their parents' names. How... How was there really a choice? What, staying on the island imprisoned instead of this _first_ chance of freedom? They literally never left the island before. _Couldn't_ leave the island. How was there much of a choice involved?"

Percy didn't answer. He just stared up at the ceiling. Running his fingers through his hair again, Nico sat down next to Percy. His hair was longer, reaching a bit past his shoulders now. He usually wore it in a bun to keep it out of the way. He also liked to run his fingers through it in frustration.

"There's nothing we can do right now. Nothing but fight, you know", muttered Percy.

Nico grunted displeased at that and glared at the ground. "I don't like that."

"Of course you don't. I don't either. But right now, they're attacking our home. All we can do right now is right, together", sighed Percy, slowly sitting up to rest a hand on Nico's back.

Turning his head a bit, Nico looked into Percy's honest, gentle face. "...Gods I love you so much."

Only when Percy's eyes widened and cheeks flushed did Nico realize what he had said. His face matched Nico's, expression pure mortification. Had he seriously just said that out loud...?

"...As like... a friend?", asked Percy slowly. "Or as like a 'wanna take you to the victory celebration ball as my date once this war is over'...?"

"...Depends on your answer to that second question?", offered Nico carefully.

There was a stretch of silence between them, one that was only mildly awkward. Then, Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Oh gods, Percy was going to let him down gently. This was a nightma—Lips pressing against his interrupted Nico's train of thought.

"I'd like that", whispered Percy against Nico's lips. "I'd like that a lot."

"Oh", whispered Nico stunned, blinking a couple of times.

"Oh?", repeated Percy, amusement in his sea-green eyes.

"...Yeah I never thought I'd get this far?", admitted Nico a little embarrassed.

Laughing brightly, Percy wrapped his arms around Nico and leaned into him. "Let's face this war together. Then go on a date. And then we save the villain kids, okay?"

"Sure. And world peace and starving children are next on the agenda?", snorted Nico.

"Hey. Have a little more faith in your boyfriend", complained Percy, slapping him.

"...Boyfriend", repeated Nico in total awe.

"Dork", snorted Percy, though his cheeks were flushed too.

/break\

"Prince Ben, do you have a second?"

"Prince?", repeated Ben, laughing a little. "C'mon, we're years past that, Percy."

Chad on his own bed looked up curiously as Percy entered their bedroom. The war laid barely behind them, everyone had needed and wanted a good night's rest after the fight. Percy stared right back at Chad, silently. The staring intensified until Chad cleared his throat and got up.

"I'll just... go and rest somewhere else... I guess", drawled Chad awkwardly.

"Good decision, Chad", nodded Percy with a bright smile.

"That's _Prince_ Chad, if you call him prince!", huffed Chad offended.

Ben raised one eyebrow as Percy closed the door behind himself. "Okay, I'll bite what's wrong."

"Before the battle, we...", started Percy, shifting a little. "Nico and I talked. About the villain kids. About... how they had no choice in any of this. How there are _still_ captured children who never saw anything but the island. Kid who didn't even go with Kronos to begin with, but will remain _prisoners_ all of their life – just for... for who their parents are. Ben, that's not right."

Furrowing his brows, Ben slowly nodded. "You... You're right. It's not. But..."

"You're the _prince_. Next in line for the throne of Auradon. The isle is Auradon's territory", stated Percy firmly. "I... want to present an idea to the Olympians and to... to the royal council. My word may mean something because I'm... the savior of Olympus, as they call me now. But you? You're next in line to be a king. Can we... Will you back me up?"

"What... What do you plan on asking?", asked Ben slowly.

"I'm not asking for the barrier to be taken down, that'd be insane. _Most_ of the criminals in there literally tried taking over at least a whole kingdom. They're very dangerous domestic terrorists basically. But... others? I think that certain villains in there deserve a fair trial and a fair sentence, because... how does dog-napping earn you a life-time sentence? Even if we all love puppies. Who definitely doesn't deserve a life-time sentence in prison are their _children_. I want them to get a _choice_. I know many may choose to stay with their parents, but others may want a proper education, a life here, in... foster-homes, or in case of demigods, here in Auradon Prep. They _deserve_ it."

"You know I'll always have your back, Percy", stated Ben sincerely.

/break\

Evie was wary, one arm wrapped around Dizzy Tremaine and the other arm wrapped around Celia Facilier. She had a hard time believing that they would get off the isle, just like that. The younger girls in her arms were excited, they thought this was a gift, a great chance. Evie was more skeptical; she and her friends had been more or less loyal to Kronos during the war. Well, they had been loyal to _their parents_, who had been loyal to Kronos, had thought Kronos was a means to get revenge on those who had wronged them. Evie, Jay, Mal and Carlos had just thought it would be a chance to... to prove themselves to their parents and to maybe see Auradon.

"So, we're really doing this?", asked Jay skeptically, stepping up to Evie.

"I... suppose. They said all minors will not face punishment for their actions during the war. We all get a... second chance. If we want it", muttered Evie reluctantly.

"I still think this is a big scam of sorts", declared Mal unimpressed.

"Yeah but maybe we can get something out of this scam", noted Carlos eagerly. "C'mon. As long as we all stay together, this could be... something?"

"Well, it'll certainly be something", snorted Mal amused. "Okay, VK, let's roll out."

Evie straightened her back and kept a hand on the kids. She felt _very_ protective of them and considering they were going to leave without their parents, she was determined to watch out for the two young girls. Who knew what nonsense the people from Auradon were going to put into their heads. Both girls could not be less concerned though, they were so excited.

"Hello there."

The six of them, and the VK standing behind them, turned toward the two too cheerful looking boys. Their welcoming committee...? One looked like trouble, more like he'd fit right into the isle, and the other who looked... like a real prince charming. Evie perked up a little, batting her lashes.

"I'm Percy Jackson. And this is Prince Ben of Auradon. We're the ones who... arranged for this. We're happy that you guys took our invitation to Auradon Prep", announced the peppy one.

"So... what's in it for us here?", asked Jay curiously.

"In it? Aside from your freedom?", asked Percy, blinking slowly.

"I mean yeah sure. But we had regular digs around here. Our _parents_ – well, some of us, anyway, more or less I guess. But... out there?", clarified Mal for Jay.

"Oh. Right. Yes. Of course, you are all welcomed to Auradon Prep, where you can live, eat, make friends. You'll be... taken care of", assured Prince Ben with a charming smile.

Oh, that one was definitely getting to Evie. She smiled and batted her eyelashes at the prince. Ben and Percy led the way toward the waiting cars. Long, fancy cars. The VK were divided onto the cars to get to this school. Evie climbed in with her friends.

"Fancy ride", commented Jay with a whistle.

Carlos was already rummaging through the car, finding food and stuffing his face. Celia and Dizzy were more than curious and once Carlos proved it wasn't poisonous, they too were eating their fill. Huh. That was something they could do from now on, always eating their fill.

"I wonder what Auradon is going to be like", mused Evie softly.

"It's going to be awesome", declared Celia.

"Did the cards tell you that?", chuckled Evie amused.

Celia simply grinned at her, mouth smeared with as much chocolate as Carlos'. This was going to be... quite the adventure, wasn't it? A fond little smile found its way onto Evie's lips.

/break\

Ben blinked stunned as he looked at the short, freckled boy whose entire face was somehow covered in chocolate. He looked up at Ben, licking his fingers and asking for more chocolate. Oh gods, he was _cute_. Clearing his throat, Ben smiled and tried to make a joke. He knew he was getting strange looks from Audrey and from Annabeth, but that didn't matter for now. For now, they had to get the villain kids settled in here and make them feel welcomed.

"I'm Doug. I'm going to show you boys your room. And this is Jane, she's going to show the girls."

Jane looked like a startled deer as she waved at the purple-haired girl and the blue-haired girl. Ben allowed himself to take a breath as the villain kids were led away by Doug and Jane. Annabeth rested a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention.

"I'm proud of you. You did the right thing", whispered Annabeth gently, smiling.

"That is up for debate", snorted Audrey unimpressed.

And wasn't that his life? Torn between his kind-of-sister and his girlfriend. Ben smiled strained. He loved Audrey, he really did. He just... wished he was _in love_ with Audrey too. His parents wanted it, her parents wanted it, the whole entire kingdom wanted it. Ever since they had been mere toddlers playing together, the papers had written and published stories about the next Golden Couple. There had never been much of a... choice for Ben. It wasn't like his parents had _forced_ this relationship upon him, but the pressure was still there, he knew they _wanted_ it – and he didn't want to disappoint them. He also knew that Audrey got a lot of pressure from her grandmother, primarily. Queen Aurora herself didn't quite mind, having been raised a commoner herself and still getting the prince of her dreams to fall in love with her, she truly didn't care about the status of her daughter's chosen one. She, sadly enough, also remained quite oblivious to her mother's pushiness.

Audrey had been, simply put, brainwashed into becoming queen one day, into doing whatever it took to become the queen at the side of a powerful king. There were not too many _powerful_ princes to choose from there for a princess of the United Kingdoms.

Prince Aziz, son of Aladdin and Jasmine, was engaged to Princess Elle, daughter of Eric and Ariel, already. The son of King Hercules and Queen Megara was soon to be wed to Prince Aziz' older sister. The son of Queen Snow White was nearly ten years younger than them, and so were basically all other 'available' princes. There were only Ben and Chad left, really, for her to pick from.

In return, the pool of princesses to date was relatively small for Ben too; there was Princess Anxelin, the daughter of King Eugene and Princess Rapunzel, the engaged Princess Elle, Lonnie and Audrey. And well, with Lonnie, Ben had never quite clicked. But Audrey? The two had been very close and dear friends since childhood. Surely they could make a marriage work.

"Come on, Audrey. Let's be... nice to them", pleaded Ben with a forced smile.

"They're _criminals_. The purple one, I remember her from the battle. She's Maleficent's daughter", hissed Audrey irritated. "Maleficent! You _know_ what Maleficent did to my family!"

"And you know that she is not her mother. Maybe she is very different from her mother", tried Ben. "Give her a chance. Maybe you can even become friends. Or at least tolerate her."

"Why. Just... why?", asked Audrey, looking as exhausted by this conversation as Ben felt.

"Because I will be the king of this country one day. And when I am king, I want... to be just. I don't want to judge people based on the mistakes of their parents. You _know_ my father made mistakes too; they got _him_ punished – got him turned into the Beast. Would you want _me_ to suffer that fate, just because of who my father is? Would you want the Enchantress to curse me simply for that?"

"...No, of course not", muttered Audrey, shifting a little.

"Neither do they deserve such punishment", replied Ben. "What Maleficent did to your family was horrible. I _know_ that, Audrey. But it was also... the same thing that our parents did to these kids. Because she punished your mother for the mistake of your grandparents. At... At one point, we have to break this cycle of revenge, of seeking to punish those who wronged us and everyone related to them. We have to start... anew. I want _us_ to start anew. A new kingdom, a new alliance, a future where we can live side by side with others without prejudice."

"That's all very noble and very you of you, Bensie, but... do _they_ know that?", asked Audrey.

"Audrey", whispered Ben gently and cupped her face. "I don't want to turn a blind eye on anything. We're not going to forcibly keep the children from the isle here. If they break the law, they will be punished – but within _reason_. This is a second chance. Whether or not they take it is up to them. I want to accept and help those who _want_ our help, who want to be members of this society, not those who scorn and hate us and only seek destruction to keep the cycle going."

"...Okay", sighed Audrey in defeat. "I do trust you to know what you're doing, Ben. _However_, I will be telling you 'I told you so' the first time one of them screws up."

/break\

Oh gods, he wasn't just cute, he was utterly adorable. And the thought was utterly mortifying somehow, because Ben had never... looked at someone and felt this strange warm sensation. But when he found Carlos de Vil halfway up a tree, trying to hide from Dude. Dude, who was the smallest dog Ben had ever seen in his _life_. How... How could anyone mistake this boy for a dangerous second-generation villain...? Ben gathered Dude up and carefully helped Carlos down from the tree, trying to assure him that dogs weren't dangerous.

And then his dumb babbling mouth called Carlos _a good boy_ because he was strangely nervous talking to the other boy and he tried, very mortified, to cover it up, but Carlos didn't notice, he just smiled and looked pretty and oh gods, none of this was _good_.

"So... how... how do you like Auradon so far?", asked Ben, clearing his throat.

The two of them were walking away from the woods again, back toward the fields. Carlos looked even cuter with a puppy perched on his arms. The freckled boy looked around curiously.

"Dunno", replied Carlos slowly. "It's... a lot? And many here look at us weirdly. Like, I get it, I get it, we're the evil villain kids and like our parents directly hurt many of their parents, but... it's weird. Uncomfortable? The food here is great though and the rooms too."

"They're wary. It'll pass. Once they realize you're no different from us", assured Ben.

"You... really think that?", asked Carlos curiously, tilting his head a little.

"Absolutely", confirmed Ben with raw conviction. "Your parents' faults are not yours. You're kids. Just like us. Demigods, just like us. They'll come to see that."

Not that that had quite come up yet. The VK had only arrived yesterday; they wanted the kids settled in and a bit calmed down before asking these questions and sorting them into appropriate classes – children of Hecate had special magic lessons, while children of Ares and Enyo had a harder training regime. A curriculum tailored to fit the special needs of every demigod.

"Who's yours?", asked Carlos with another head-tilt. "Is it Aphrodite? Because you're Prince Charming? That must come from her, right?"

Ben _blushed_ furiously at that and tried to cover it up by clearing his throat. "What. No. I... I'm not Prince Charming. Chad is Prince Charming Junior; it was his father's moniker. My father's moniker was... the Beast... I don't... I don't have godly blood on my father's side. My mother however, Queen Belle, she is a daughter of Athena. Athena was so charmed when she met my grandfather, who is a great inventor, and... well. My mom was born. She is a brilliant and wise woman."

"Huh", nodded Carlos thoughtfully.

"Who... if you don't mind... and if you know... is yours?", asked Ben tentatively.

Since Carlos had asked first, surely it'd be okay for him to be curious too, right? But he didn't quite know how far the VK even knew who their other parent was. They kept introducing each other and themselves by their villain parent – Jay, son of Jafar, Carlos, son of Cruella, Mal, daughter of Maleficent, Evie, daughter of Queen Grimhilde (though Evie kept insisting on the title of _Queen_ and on the fact that her mother _had a name_). Which, he supposed, figured.

On the Isle of the Lost, the more powerful and widely known the villainous parent was, the more respect the kids got. Just like it was around here; Ben was first the son of Queen Belle and King Adam and only second the legacy of Athena. He was a worldly royal, a trade unique to him, while everyone here was a demigod and that alone meant little.

"Hephaestus", replied Carlos slowly. "Dunno how mom and dad met though. But yeah."

"Oh, so... you enjoy inventing?", asked Ben, not wanting to be too presumptuous.

"Uhu. It's kind of how I found my place with Mal, Evie and Jay", replied Carlos with a smile.

"How so?" This was getting very interesting; Ben had kind of wondered about this one.

After all, the Evil Queen, Maleficent and Jafar – they were probably _the_ most powerful villains on the isle. The most powerful sorcerers, all three of them magic-users. Ben would have expected a child of Doctor Facilier or Madame Mim among their ranks, but the son of Cruella de Vil...? A lady whose greatest power was her money and whose crime was animal cruelty, while all three others had tried to, _and succeeded_ though only temporarily, in taking over a whole kingdom...?

"I'm very good with my hands", shrugged Carlos thoughtfully. "Always been able to... fix stuff. And to create stuff out of scrap metal. Which is worth a lot on an isle filled with scraps."

He grinned at Ben in a carefree way and Ben felt his heart squeeze a little. No kid should need to fix things up with scraps to get by. They should get to be _children_.

"Do you... want me to show you our workshop?", offered Ben after a moment. "It's pretty impressive. Or so I have been told. Personally, I... didn't much inherit my grandfather's talents there, though I did gain my mother's book-worminess, or so I'm accused by others."

"Workshop?", echoed Carlos with a wondrous expression on his face.

Ben took that as a yes and led the way over toward said workshop. Charles Beckendorf was the only one in right now, working on his bike that he had built from scratch. It was his pride and joy.

"Ben. What can I do for you? You only ever come in here when your laptop needs fixing.

There was a teasing look in Beckendorf's eyes at that and Ben cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"This is Carlos, I don't think you've met yet. He's a son of Hephaestus. I figured you'd be better fit to show him around the workshop, explain everything around here to him", offered Ben.

"Son of Hephaestus, huh?", grunted Beckendorf, eyes softening a little. "I'm Beckendorf. C'mon, little brother, I'll show you all the wonders of having rich benefactors paying for top-notch materials and equipment, which you are all free to use."

Ben bit his lips as he saw the sparkle in Carlos' eyes. Pure excitement. Clearing his throat, he bid his goodbyes and decided to leave the brothers to it. Carlos was going to have a lot of fun here, hopefully. Ben just really wanted him – and all villain kids, really – to feel comfortable here.

/break\

"I _love_ my hair!", exclaimed Lonnie excitedly, twirling in front of the mirror.

Silena smiled pleased where she sat on her bed with Audrey, Drew, Jane and Annabeth. She had seen Mal and Evie touch up their hair and it had given her an idea on how to integrate the girls more into their school; a make-over. Silena's hair was bright neon-pink, Annabeth's was silver and straightened (something she never bothered with because it was an annoying task). Lou Ellen was sitting on the other bed, talking animatedly to Mal about the spells – she had been dying her hair purple the natural way so far instead of using magic. Jane and Lonnie really enjoyed their new haircuts. And even Audrey looked... pleased. Her hair started neon-pink and then blended into azure-blue at the tips, creating a beautiful magenta mix in the middle.

"We haven't even gotten to the _best_ part yet!", exclaimed Dizzy Tremaine loudly.

The other girls exchanged curious looks while Dizzy pulled out a rack of clothes. Now it was Silena's turn to get excited because if there was one thing she absolutely loved about the villain kids, it was their fashion style. It was so vastly different from the tame, sweet clothes common in Auradon. Getting up, she started browsing the beautiful clothes.

"Oh, where did you get those? They're gorgeous", gasped Silena.

"Evie makes them herself", stated Dizzy, looking like a very proud little sister.

Evie smiled and tucked a strand of blue hair behind her ear. "You, girl, have a lot of talent. And I mean _a lot_. You definitely have to get into fashion design."

"Get into...?", echoed Evie confused.

"Yes. After high school, in college", explained Silena with a smile. "You have a bright career ahead of you, you know. This is a fresh breeze here, it'll change Auradon."

Evie looked surprised but also a little proud, as though the thought of doing it professionally, of having a career had never quite crossed her mind – then again, from everything Silena knew, the isle operated on exchanges and less on money and such a thing as a proper _career_ wasn't exactly something they could have on the isle. Seeing this look on the young girl's face made Silena all the more glad that Ben and Percy had advocated for this second chance, because this girl? She deserved it, she deserved having her talent cultivated and believed in, not waste away.

"If you'd like, I could design something specifically for you", offered Evie with a smile.

"Yes!", chorused the Auradon girls eagerly, even Audrey.

/break\

"You... look different", noted Ben a bit surprised.

Normally, Audrey always looked very... preppy. Now, her brown curls were dyed pink and blue and her timid clothes were changed for skin-tight pink leather. For the first time, she looked like she had found herself and wasn't trying to please her grandmother, wearing and doing whatever she wanted.

"Turns out the daughter of Maleficent is good for make-overs. And the daughter of Grimhilde is actually... a very talented designer", replied Audrey, trying to sound casual.

Ben smiled, just a little bit. "So you... don't mind them as much anymore?"

"I still don't trust them, but I suppose this is... nice", shrugged Audrey indifferently.

"Jay joined the team. He's amazing. And I showed Carlos the workshop – turns out he's a son of Hephaestus. Beckendorf told me earlier that he's really impressed with the kid. They have _potential_, potential they deserve to live out", stated Ben firmly.

Audrey simply hummed, a far-off look on her face. Ben knew she had a potential she deserved to live out too. It was strange. He had never thought that much about the pressure they both faced.

/break\

"I heard I can get a make-over here."

Mal turned a little, one eyebrow raised at the boy entering hers and Evie's room. He was dressed all in black, some eyeliner highlighting his dark eyes, hair put up in a bun. Mal frowned. She had noticed him before, during the battle and also when they had first come to this school – he stood out like a sore thumb among all those very nicely dressed goody-two-shoes people.

"Ye—es. Welcome to Mal and Evie's Beauty Salon. How can we help you?", asked Evie.

"I like your hair color. Maybe a shade lighter? Blue's my boyfriend's favorite color."

"Your boyfriend? Daw, that's cute", grinned Evie.

"Percy Jackson. My boyfriend."

"You're di Angelo. The son of Hades", observed Mal slowly, narrowing her eyes.

"And you're Maleficent, the daughter of Hades", countered Nico with a smirk.

"Mal. I go by Mal. And _no one_ knows who my father is", growled Mal.

"Easy. I'm not threatening you or anything. I just... want to get to know my new sister."

Nico sat down on the couch, looking at Mal patiently. Mal remained tense. She had always been an only child. She had never told anyone but Evie who her father was; being a child of one of the Big Three had been big news during the Titan War and she didn't want a target painted on her back.

"We have another sister. My full-blood sister. Her name's Bianca, she's a huntress of Artemis."

Mal nodded as she and Evie got to work on Nico's make-over. He talked, a lot. About this school, his friends here, the people who could become their friends, even about their father – apparently, he had met Hades on multiple occasions. He also talked a lot about their powers. The isle negated all powers; out here, in Auradon, was the first time Mal could even experience them. The Fairy Godmother taught her magic, but apparently being a child of Hades came with its own set of skills. He talked and talked and talked... and Mal listened. She never really had a _family_, not like that. Her mother. Evie, Jay and Carlos were the closest to siblings she ever had.

/break\

"You. Look. So. _Hot_", whispered Percy, punctuating every word with a kiss.

Nico in his arms squirmed and grinned. They were at the beach together, with a couple friends. Annabeth and Ben were playing chess on a blanket, while Jay had joined Lonnie, Clarisse, Chris, Travis and Connor in a game of beach-ball. Silena and Audrey were catching a tan. And, also among them – Nico's new little sister Mal and her friends Carlos and Evie.

"I thought you'd like it", grinned Nico pleased, his arms around Percy's waist.

"I _love_ it. Oh. I should get blue hair", gasped Percy wide-eyed, excitement rising.

Nico laughed and leaned forward, resting his forehead against Percy's collarbone. "You're horrible."

"And you're a big brother now. How does that feel?", asked Percy curiously.

He snuggled up to Nico, sitting on his boyfriend's lap. The two of them were facing the ocean, the sun setting. Nico had gotten a make-over this morning and now Percy got to run his fingers through blue hair while they talked softly about their day. At least they did, until a pirate ship approached.

"What in the _world_?", grunted Clarisse warily as she and the others returned to the beach.

"She can't be serious", groaned Mal annoyed.

"Who? Serious with what?", wanted Nico to know.

They all were getting their weapons, while Chris was running back to the castle to let the adults know. Never hurt to alert others of an approaching pirate-ship. The confusing thing however was that their VK looked mostly annoyed and not so much like this was a _problem_.

"Uma. Daughter of Ursula. Kind of... Mal's rival?", offered Carlos in explanation. "She's the captain of a pirate-crew. They bailed, when Kronos got us out of the isle. Didn't want to be anyone's minions so they sailed off... haven't heard from them since."

He licked chocolate off his fingers while he explained. That was... really his thing. Sweets in general, but especially chocolate seemed to be the way to Carlos' heart. Percy noticed the way Ben was putting himself between the ocean and Carlos, specifically. Though Audrey had already taken a step behind her boyfriend. Percy had noticed how much time Ben was spending with Carlos. Maybe he should talk to his friend about all of this. Later, after the pirates.

"Wait. Did you say Ursula?", asked Percy after a moment, eyes widening.

"Uhm... yeah? Why?", asked Carlos confused.

"That makes her my niece!", exclaimed Percy, sounding oddly excited. "I'm the only demigod child of Poseidon these days. But Ursula? She's Triton's sister. She's a daughter of Poseidon. That makes this... pirate-captain a legacy of Poseidon."

"Yeah, that's nothing to get excited about", grunted Mal unimpressed.

"Hey. You already got an awesome brother out of this, please be quiet", chided Percy.

Nico snorted, a fond expression on his face as he looked from his boyfriend over to his newly acquired sister. They all got dressed and got their weapons ready, waiting for the ship to arrive. When it did, only three members of the crew got off the ship to talk to them. A very bad-ass, turquoise-themed girl led the trio, flanked by two boys.

"Hey, shrimpy", greeted Mal with a glare. "Long time no see."

"You're not why I'm here. I'm here for the prince."

"I'm Prince Ben. What... can I do for you?", asked Ben and stepped forward.

"Ben!", exclaimed Audrey irritated. "Don't just step up to the pirate!"

Said pirate just raised one curious eyebrow as she slowly looked at Audrey. "I'm Captain Uma. My first mate, Harry Hook. I hear you're allowing us peasants into your kingdom now. Wanted to come see that for myself, now that the dust's settled."

Immediately, one of Ben's big, bright smiles spread over his lips. "Yes, we are! All kids from the isle are welcome and get a second chance, no questions asked."

"Great. Where are our rooms, princess?", asked Uma with a mischievous smile, looking at Audrey.

Audrey made an indignant sound at that and, for maybe the first time, Mal seemed to agree with her, because she made the exact same sound. Percy grinned. He was gonna love this one.

/break\

Uma liked her uncle. Which was a bizarre concept. But yes, considering her mother's motivation for her deeds had been that she had wanted Atlantis for herself, because it was her birthright as the daughter of Poseidon, that did make this son of Poseidon Uma's uncle. She felt more like she had gained a puppy-dog little brother though. Percy was excitable, strong, cheeky. He'd fit right into her crew. He had taken it upon himself to show the pirates around and get them settled in; he had even spoken up on their behalf on multiple occasions. Apparently, around here, him and Prince Ben were the loudest advocates for the villain kids. Very curious that one.

The greatest entertainment was watching Harry flirt with Percy though – Harry's mother being Amphitrite he found it very delightful and enticing to flirt with the son of Poseidon. The entertaining part came when Percy's _very possessive boyfriend_ stepped in though.

"You know what, I like this kid of Hades way more than the old one", declared Uma.

She was laughing and leaning against Percy, while Harry and Nico were honest to the gods dueling each other for Percy's honor. Percy huffed, though it was an amused sound as he watched them.

"Don't let Mal hear it. We're trying to keep things civil here, Uma", sighed Percy softly. "You and Mal are like the most powerful magic users around here. We don't want you guys blowing up the school, okay? _Ple—ease_, for your new favorite uncle?"

"Jackson. Stop it", snorted Uma, shaking her head a little. "Besides, long as Mal steers clear of me, there won't be any problem. My crew knows to respect my orders and my orders are to behave, while we're on land at least. What goes on in the sea... that's a different matter."

Percy heaved a sigh, shaking his head very slowly at her, while Harry and Nico were throwing thinly veiled insults at each other. It really was fun to watch. And while Harry mostly edged on – especially with Nico, but also with Jay – Gil seemed well settled in already. Gil's mother was Aphrodite, who just could not resist all that was Gaston and pretty boy Gil really took after his mom with looks. He had been very happy to meet his new siblings here and he had immediately been adopted by Silena Beauregard, the unofficial leader of the children of Aphrodite.

"So Gil's settling in with flower-crowns and tea-parties, Harry's settling in with making enemies... how's it going for you?", asked Percy relatively casually, side-eyeing the pirate-captain.

Snorting, Uma turned enough to watch the scene happening a little off to the right. Gil was literally getting a flower-crown from Silena, sitting and chatting with her, Evie, Audrey and Prince Chad. He really did look content there. Uma's eyes lingered on the pink-and-blue princess.

"I'm doing perfectly fine, Jackson", assured Uma, eyes still on Audrey.

"Yo—ou're intensely staring at Ben's girlfriend", pointed Percy out. "When I said I don't want the school torn down, that kind of includes maybe not hitting on the prince's girlfriend."

"Mh, strange how it seems that the prince can't really keep her attention though", mused Uma. "Oh, relax. I'm not doing anything, am I? Just... admiring the view."

Rolling his eyes hard, Percy got off the ground. "That's it. Enough admiring the view for you, pirate. You promised to teach me that trick with the tentacles."

"I told you I could _try_ to teach you that trick", snorted Uma. "You're not a magic-user."

"But I'm the son of Poseidon! I _demand_ tentacles!"

"TMI, Perce, TMI", called Carlos out, laughing as he passed them.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Wait, where are you headed?"

"I'm looking for Ben. I built something for him", grinned Carlos.

Uma hummed and tilted her head as she watched the exchange between Carlos and Percy, waiting until Carlos was gone. "I feel like the prince is far more into little puppies than princesses."

Percy furrowed his brows, looking after Carlos and then at Uma. "Damn so that's not in my head."

Raising both her eyebrows, Uma laid an arm around his shoulders. "It is not. But I think prim and proper Auradon hasn't caught on yet. I... don't even think the little pup has caught on yet."

Heaving a sigh, Percy shook his head. "Okay, that's next on my agenda. _After_ you teach me how to turn myself into a merman. That one's on top of the list."

/break\

Percy had talked to him. It had been a very gentle talking to and Percy, being Percy, hadn't been pushy about it. More... prodding. Inquiring. He wanted to know if Ben was even _aware_ of what was going on. Of course he was. He was just also trying to ignore it. Percy... suggested that ignoring it may not be as helpful as he hoped. Ben knew Percy was right.

He was developing feelings for Carlos. Had been for weeks now, but it was only... getting more intense. Every cute little nose-wiggle, the sparkly eyes when Ben brought him chocolate, listening to Carlos talk about his inventions, spending _hours_ playing video-games with Carlos and Jay...

"Audrey, we need to talk."

Audrey arched one eyebrow and looked up from the pearl-necklace she was playing with. Blue and pink pearls alternating. It was new, Ben had never seen it on her before. Smiling at him, she adjusted herself and sat up straighter. There was no easy way to do this.

"I love you, I really do, Audrey", started Ben slowly. "You're... You're my best friend. You've been my best friend since we were children. And... And you deserve better."

"Better? Better than what?", asked Audrey, clearly confused.

"Better than this. Better than just being best friends", elaborated Ben. "I always thought, you and me, we could make the marriage our parents want work, because we're best friends. That that'd be enough. But... But we're the children of two of the greatest love-stories there are. Both of us, we _deserve_ that too, deserve an epic love-story."

"We... We are supposed to be that epic love-story. The son of Belle! The daughter of Aurora! Two families cursed and now in power, united through us", argued Audrey, slowly looking angry.

"Tell... Tell me one thing, Audrey. Tell me, are you _in love_ with me?"

Ben looked straight at her, seriously. Waiting. She faltered. She couldn't lie to his face like that. He knew. He knew they both felt the same way, knew they were both in this relationship to honor their parents' wishes, not because they were an epic romance.

"Who...?", asked Audrey, voice low. "Who did you find who's worth ending this?"

"I...", started Ben before clearing his throat; she deserved the truth. "C... Carlos. I think I'm falling in love with Carlos. I... I've never felt that way before, Audrey. I want to... try."

Audrey's jaw was set in what was a clear attempt at composing herself. It was time for Ben to take his leave; saying sorry wasn't going to do anything and she deserved to _not_ compose herself right now – even if she wasn't in love with him either, she still had a right to be angry about this.

/break\

"You're going to get fat if you keep eating that much chocolate", sighed Evie amused.

"Shut up", grumbled Carlos, stuffing another piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"I dunno, I think cake is better than chocolate", mused Celia thoughtfully.

"Okay, but consider this: Chocolate cake", argued Dizzy excitedly.

"O—Oh", chorused both Carlos and Celia with eager expressions.

They were sitting together – Evie, Carlos, Celia, Dizzy, Jay, Mal and Nico – playing some strange game that Mal's new brother had taught them. Carlos thought it was fun, a play-pretend card-game about heroes and monsters. Mal's magic made it all the more fun because it animated the figures. A knocking on the door interrupted them and the six VK turned to watch the door open.

"Ben!", exclaimed Carlos, having a hard time keeping the excitement out of his voice.

"Hey. I... was wondering if we could talk, Carlos? But if now's a bad time..."

"Now is a _perfect_ time to talk to Carlos! I would love to fill in for Carlos, spend some time with my boyfriend who keeps ditching me to teach his sister Mythomagic."

Percy was smiling brightly as he pushed past a startled Ben, walked into the room right up to Nico and sat down next to his boyfriend. He gave Carlos a friendly little shove before kissing Nico.

"...I forgot about a date, didn't I?", asked Nico slowly. "Am I in trouble?"

"Nah, I kept busy with Uma and Harry", replied Percy casually.

"_Hook_", growled Nico displeased, the room darkening a little.

"The one and only", chimed Percy mischievously.

Carlos exchanged a look with Evie, who was grinning knowingly at that. Percy was absolutely using Harry's flirtations to his advantage. It was startling to watch – Carlos, he couldn't imaging doing that. Then again, Carlos couldn't really imagine having a boyfriend.

"Uh. Right... So...", drawled Carlos as he got up.

He looked back at his friends one last time before he left with the prince. Being alone with Ben was... strange. It made Carlos feel things he had never really felt before. All fluttery and warm. The way the prince would smile, just how close attention he paid to everything Carlos said, like it was the most interesting and worthy thing to listen to. Not something Carlos was used to. His mother never really listened to his tech-battle and while Evie, Jay and Mal entertained him, they didn't really _get it_ – sure, Evie was a genius, when it came to math and chemistry, but mechanics weren't exactly her realm. So even when they heard him out, they often spaced out too. Ben... never spaced out, he always listened with rapid interest.

"What... do you wanna talk about?", asked Carlos curiously as Ben led him toward the lake.

"I broke up with Audrey", blurted Ben out, lifting a hand to silence him when Carlos wanted to say he was sorry to hear that. "I broke up with her because I never loved her, or well, I was never _in love_ with her. And... And recently I've been thinking about this a lot, about how... I want to be with someone I have romantic feelings for. And that's... just not her."

"Okay", whispered Carlos slowly, nodding. "Uh... why are you telling _me_ this though?"

"Be... Because...", started Ben before clearing his throat, cheeks flushed. "Because I think you're someone I have... romantic feelings for. And... And I would... like to take you out on a date. As... boyfriends. If that was something you would want too..."

"Oh", whispered Carlos, eyes large, blinking a couple times. "With me?"

"Yes. With you", chuckled Ben with a smitten look on his face. "You're... _so_ cute."

"Uhm. Uh... Okay?", agreed Carlos after another moment. "Okay. Sure. Yeah."

Ben's entire face lit up and it put butterflies in Carlos' stomach.

/break\

Audrey was feeling bitter, yet also happy at the same time. And it was an... odd combination. Ben and Carlos were dancing, all eyes of the ball on them. There was such a... loving expression on Ben's face as he gently whirled Carlos around. Part of Audrey thought that was _her_ spot, the other part of her was happy for her best friend to have found someone worth loving. Another part of him wondered and craved to have someone whirl her around like that, look at her like that.

"Your dance-card looks strangely empty, princess. Which is a shame. You look stunning in that dress, should really show it off on the dance-floor, you know."

Audrey blinked and turned to look at Uma. Oh, she looked _gorgeous_ in her dress and with her hair up like that. Biting her lips, Audrey's fingers found the pearl-necklace she was wearing. Blue and pink pearls. The pirate had given it to her, said she had found it in her loot and figured that color-scheme would only ever go well with Audrey. Audrey _loved_ that necklace.

"Well, the one who's supposed to dance with me... is already busy dancing."

"His loss", shrugged Uma unimpressed, holding her hand out. "Come on. Time to dance."

Audrey blinked and stared at the offered hand for another long moment before her eyes wandered around the room – Silena and Beckendorf, Clarisse and Chris, Percy and Nico, Ben and Carlos, and so many other happy couples, dancing to the music. Surely she couldn't—not with a villain's daughter. A witch's daughter, at that. A _girl_. Audrey couldn't even decide which aspect would shock her grandmother the most. Biting her lips, she took the offered hand.

"Screw you, grandma", whispered Audrey beneath her breath.

"What was that, princess?", asked Uma curiously as she led Audrey to the dance-floor.

"Nothing. Just... me, taking a very good friend's advise", smiled Audrey.

She batted her eyelashes at Uma in an innocent way, making the pirate laugh. When Uma laid her arm around Audrey's waist, the other hand holding onto Audrey's, all playfulness seemed to fade away as the moment suddenly felt very, _very_ real and here. She swallowed as she let the pirate lead her in the dance. Around them, it became quiet for only a moment as curious eyes wanted to see who had Princess Audrey's attention. The one who had been actually paying attention to her, that was who. Oh, she knew... She knew that many only paid attention to her for her status, or for her previous nearly-set engagement to Prince Ben. But with her, for herself...?

Uma had been charming. Had been _interesting_ – telling stories of the ocean out there, where they had traveled along the coast before coming to Auradon. Uma... gave her gifts. Little trinkets, not just the necklace. Shells, things that she found and made her 'think of Audrey'. Audrey... liked having been thought of like that. Was.. .this what Ben had meant...?

"So, are you free tomorrow?", asked Audrey boldly, leaning into Uma a little.

"How about a picnic on a beach, princess?", whispered Uma with a smirk.

Audrey's eyes found Ben's over Uma's shoulder, smiling at her friend. "Sounds... perfect."

_~*~ The End ~*~_

* * *

_Author's note: This started out as a pitch on tumblr (come visit me at **takaraphoenix**), mainly based on "Mal is the daughter of Hades in canon already... so what if... demigods". And then it escalated into this far more elaborate AU. And of course did I have to use the canned original movie concept where Ursula was Triton's sister, because I want her to be related to Percy and also it makes a hell of a lot sense and I hate that they just dropped that angle, it would have added such a fascinating layer to the movie. Aaanyway, this was fun to write and I hope you had fun with it too! ^-^_

_Also, simply for the sake of me really very much hating that angle, I canned the whole "lol so like all royal families totally willingly gave up their crowns so Belle and Adam, a peasant and a guy who spent all his life since he was ten as a beast and had never received proper training on how to rule a country, could literally rule ALL OF THE KINGDOMS"... yeah no just because you wanted this to be like the USA doesn't make this shit make sense; all your OG princesses deserve to now be queens of their kingdoms?_


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